


Where I Belong

by Rosaline_C



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Teachers, F/M, Phil Coulson is a Dork, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 01:35:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14485947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosaline_C/pseuds/Rosaline_C
Summary: After tragedy forced Melinda May to leave the military, she found a new life  working at SHIELD High School as the new gym teacher. She figured life would be simpler now that she's a civilian, but she never expected everything to change until the day she met history teacher, Phil Coulson. No one knew the following year would include crazy stuff including citrus fruit, troublemaker new student Daisy Johnson, and even romance.





	Where I Belong

**Author's Note:**

> I’m really excited about this one. I had the idea to do a teacher AU back in February and it’s taken me forever to finally get the first chapter up because I keep writing post ep fics but I’m excited to finally share it. Thanks to my partner and beta ria_oaks for putting up with my crap.

_May_

The office was stuffy as hell, or maybe she’d just been sitting in here too long waiting for the interview.

“You have an interesting resume,” the stern-looking man across from her noted. This may have been the weirdest job interview she’d ever had. She felt like she was being interviewed for a spy agency, not a high school teaching position, and the gruff man with an eyepatch interviewing her didn’t help. “You’ve only been a teacher for a couple years; what made you change to teaching?”

This wasn’t the first time she had gotten that question, especially when she first started teaching. Everyone always wanted to know how she went from being in the military to going back to school to be a physical education teacher. No one was really ready for the answer, so Melinda May gave the same answer she always did. “I just needed a change.”

Principal Nick Fury gave her a curt nod, not pushing her to answer any further. Maria had already assured her that Fury wouldn’t try to dig too far into her past--or if he did, he wouldn’t mention it. Melinda didn’t talk about it. Maria didn’t even know. 

“You come highly recommended by Vice Principal Hill,” he noted. 

“I’m good at what I do,” she responded simply. 

“Blunt. No-nonsense. I like you.” She gave a little nod and he continued, “I think you’ll fit in here.”

*****

“To finally working together!” Maria said, raising a gin and tonic to toast Melinda.

Melinda raised her glass of whisky towards her friend. Maria had been trying to get Melinda to come work at SHIELD High School since she started teaching, but Melinda had always refused. But Melinda hadn’t been happy at her school for awhile, and Maria had practically dragged her to come here when a gym teacher position opened up. Moving back to a town where her friends lived was going to be… interesting.

“Melinda May, high school gym teacher. This should be fun,” a British accent boomed from behind the girls. Melinda rolled her eyes. She didn’t miss him one bit. Okay, maybe she missed him a little bit.

“Shouldn’t you be working, Hunter?” Maria joked. 

“Maybe I was coming to get you guys more drinks,” he shot back. 

Lance Hunter owned the Zephyr--a bar that was a common hang-out spot for the teachers of SHIELD High--with his ex-wife, Bobbi. How the two of them still worked together, Melinda wasn’t sure. They’d broken up and gotten back together more times than anyone could count. As far as Melinda knew they were back together, but it had been a long time since she’d seen them so that could’ve changed by now. 

Bobbi had been Nat’s roommate while they were in college and Maria had been hers. The four of them had been inseparable until graduation (even if Nat had some mysterious backstory that no one knew). Then Nat and Maria had become teachers, Bobbi had gone off to travel (and had met and fallen in love with Hunter in the process), and she had joined the military. 

When Melinda’s life fell apart and she decided to finish her degree to become a teacher, she knew she couldn’t go teach at the same school Maria and Nat were at. She couldn’t bear to see them everyday after what she did. So she exiled herself from her friends and kept her nose down for years, until Maria dragged her out and brought her here. She didn’t deserve their friendship, but these kids needed a good gym teacher, so that’s what she was going to be. They at least deserved that. 

“Where’s Bobbi?” Maria asked Hunter.

“With Nat, most likely causing trouble. They’ll be here soon.”

“Unless they got into the vodka again,” Maria mused. Hunter shuddered. Melinda had a feeling that never ended well. 

Melinda hadn’t seen Bobbi and Nat in ages, and even though she did want to see her friends again she also didn’t want them to see how much she had changed and how damaged she was. She knew they were hurt when she cut them out of her life, and she’d have to make up for it now.

“So what exactly does Nat teach these days?” Melinda asked. She knew Nat specialized in Russian history, but she highly doubted they’d let her teach that in an American high school. 

“Twentieth-century history,” a familiar voice said from behind her. Melinda whipped around to come face to face with Natasha Romanoff and Bobbi Morse.

“Shocking. You picked a century where you could have a heavy focus on Russian history,” Melinda responded with a small smile.

Nat smiled back and winked. “Melinda May, as blunt as ever.” Melinda shrugged. She wasn’t wrong. “It’s good to see you, Mel.”

“Don’t you have work to do? It’s your night,” Bobbi told her ex. He pouted before heading back to the kitchen, and Nat and Bobbi took seats on either side of Melinda. Bobbi leaned in. “So since I’m sure your life has been hell without us, we better catch you up on all the gossip. You wouldn’t want to go into a new school without already knowing everything about everyone,” she teased. God Melinda had missed them.

“Fury might be principal but I really run the school,” Maria started. That didn’t shock Melinda in the slightest. Maria had always been a control freak and Fury seemed… strange.

“Maria has Fury wrapped around her finger,” Nat scoffed.

Bobbi laughed and Maria shot back, “At least I’m not trying to get into his pants like some of us with certain archers.”

“It’s true, Nat,” Bobbi added, “you can’t talk with how you have Clint wrapped around yours.”

“Who’s Clint?” Melinda asked.

“Clint Barton,” Nat responded, with a glare towards Bobbi and Maria. “SHIELD High’s other gym teacher and our resident moron.”

“You’re just saying that ‘cause he hasn’t asked you out yet,” Maria added.

“Maybe I should stop being subtle about it,” Nat mused. 

“You’re about as subtle as a brick to the face, Natasha,” Bobbi teased. 

“And yet Clint is still oblivious,” Nat responded, shaking her head. Whoever this poor Clint was, Nat was going to break him. 

Melinda couldn’t help but smile at their antics. It had always been like this between them--comfortable. No one had made her feel bad yet for leaving. Instead, it was like she never left at all. 

Maria started laughing. “Bob, have we told you about Clint’s ‘demonstration’ for Phil’s class?”

Nat burst out laughing. “The two of them should not be allowed anywhere near each other.”

Melinda raised an eyebrow and Maria added, “He didn’t exactly warn Phil. Fury threatened to take away his coffee pot.” 

Bobbi shook her head--clearly this was not the first time Clint and whoever this Phil guy was had gotten themselves in trouble. 

“Phil was teaching his class about the first medieval archery law of 1252 and Clint thought it would be funny to surprise Phil, burst into the classroom, and shoot an arrow,” Nat explained. “Phil swears Clint was aiming for his head but Clint never misses, so if he didn’t hit Phil it’s because he wasn’t trying to.” 

“That sounds about right,” Bobbi laughed. “How pissed was Phil?”

“I’ve heard rumours of Phil coming up with a plan to kidnap his dog,” Maria told them with a laugh.

Were all the teachers at this school children? After the stuffy faculty at her last school, Melinda knew this would be a change. She wasn’t sure exactly what this experience was going to be, but it wasn’t going to be boring.

**Author's Note:**

> This fulfills my mundane au for trope bingo.


End file.
